Stonehill men's basketball falls to FDU in their NEC Playoff debut.
By Chris Robbins
The game started close with both teams trading the lead back and forth with six lead changes in the first six minutes. FDU was able to take control in the first half thanks to a great first half from Sophomore Guard Terrance Brown.
The Knights held Stonehill scoreless over the last four and a half minutes and went into halftime up 30-20. Stonehill bounced back to start the second half and went on a 20-13 run to make it a five-point game.
Despite the Skyhawks' strong second half, Brown and FDU did not let up from their strong first half and continued to build on their lead. Stonehill battled back thanks to strong performances from Sophomores Louis Semona and Todd Brogna who combined for 28 points.
The Knights ran away with the game in the final few minutes, going on a 16-6 run in the final six minutes to close out a 71-56 win for FDU. This loss brings Stonehill to 1-6 against FDU since joining the NEC and was their fifth straight loss to the Knights.
The season didn’t go exactly as the Skyhawks envisioned, but it was a significant improvement from last season's 4-27 record. Stonehill finished their season with an overall record of 15-1, with a 7-9 record in conference play.
Stonehill goes into next season with a lot to build on with strong performances all season from several underclassmen. Brogna and Semona led the team in scoring as sophomores and will hopefully only improve during their time at Stonehill.
Semona made the All-Conference Second Team, averaging 13.2 points per game and scoring in double digits for the twenty-first time in the final game. Brogna made the All-Conference Third Team, averaging 12.3 points per game and leading the team in several categories including rebounding and field goal percentage.
Freshman Hermann Koffi made the All-Conference Rookie Team, averaging 9.3 points per game and leading the team in minutes played with 32 minutes per game.
Stonehill’s season was a big improvement from last year and looks to be in a good place heading into next season.
While the Skyhawks' season comes to an end, FDU will look to repeat their magical run in 2023, going on to the NCAA tournament and defeating number one seed Purdue.
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